Wayne and Coleen sued for €4.3m after agent ‘exploits’ him

MILLIONAIRE footballer Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen are being sued for £4.3 million (€4.9m) after being “exploited” by his agent, a court heard yesterday.

The England and Manchester United striker and his celebrity wife owe the money in the form of commission payments to Proactive, a sports management company who agreed lucrative sponsorship deals with major companies on their behalf, it is alleged.

The firm got commission of up to 20% on multimillion-pound contracts signed by the Rooneys to endorse firms such as Nike and Coca-Cola, Manchester Mercantile Court heard.

But the firms’ “primary point of contact” to the couple was Paul Stretford, the footballer’s long-standing agent and a former director of Proactive.

But when he left the firm in acrimony in October 2008 he refused to authorise further payments of commission, now worth £4.3m, forcing Proactive to sue the Rooneys, the court heard.

Mr Stretford signed-up to represent Rooney, then aged under 18, and with the agreement of his parents, in 2002 as the talented youngster burst on to the football scene with Everton, his home town club.

He subsequently signed for Manchester United in a £20m million deal.

Ian Mill QC, acting for Proactive, opened the complex case against the Rooney’s and Mr Stretford at the court yesterday.

The case in Manchester is scheduled to last three weeks with the Rooneys expected to give evidence next week.